Taylor Swift Receives Apology From Billboard Over Tribute Video Featuring Kanye West’s Song ‘Famous’
Billboard’s recent attempt to honor Taylor Swift as the second greatest pop star of the 21st century took an unexpected turn when its celebratory video included a clip from Kanye West‘s infamous “Famous” music video. This decision ignited a fierce backlash from Swift’s dedicated fanbase, given the two stars’ past feud.
During the height of their beef, Kanye West depicted a nude wax figure of Taylor Swift in his 2016 “Famous” music video and included the controversial lyric, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b***h famous.”
The song and its visual representation were widely criticized as misogynistic and contributed to the prolonged and public feud between Swift and West. Swift’s camp revealed she had not been informed about the full content of West’s lyrics, contrary to claims made by Kanye’s then-wife Kim Kardashian.
Now, Swifties are enraged by Billboard’s decision to incorporate the controversial clip into a video meant to celebrate Swift’s achievements. Descriptions such as “beyond nasty” and “an outright slap in the face” punctuated the fan response on social media. Additionally, they demanded accountability with hashtags like #BillboardIsOverParty and #BillboardApologizeToTaylor trending rapidly.
Following the backlash, Billboard promptly removed the original clip and reposted the video without the controversial segment. The publication then issued an apology early Thursday on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”
Taylor Swift was ranked No. 2, after Beyonce Knowles, in Billboard’s list of the greatest pop stars of the century – that ranking alone created a controversy of its own. Swift, who was also last year’s TIME Person of the Year, boasts a storied career and a legacy that spans decades, and her fans think she deserves a higher spot.
As of now, Taylor Swift has remained silent on the matter, not publicly commenting on either the placement in the Billboard list, the tribute video, or the subsequent apology. The incident, however, has once again stirred discourse regarding how media representations and historical conflicts continue to impact the narratives surrounding prominent artists.
